The beauty of imperfection

As social media feeds flood with pictures of neatly constructed smoothie bowls, beautifully stacked sandwiches and symmetrical breakfasts, it feels the pressure is on to present food in a constant state of perfection. Yet one savoury food producer eschewing the concept of culinary precision is UK-based pie, rolls and quiche producer Higgidy.

Its latest rebrand, carried out by London-based B&B Studio, is based on the concept of ‘the beauty of imperfection’ and draws design inspiration from mismatched dinner plates.

Launched 13 years ago, Higgidy has rebranded to reflect the brand’s continued maturity and its place as a supermarket staple where it was once considered a challenger. The rebrand,  set to roll out from spring 2017, affirms Higgidy’s position as a well-respected and loved food provider.

Mark Campbell, managing director, Higgidy, says, “An enormous amount of thought and rigour has gone into this new approach. Category and consumer insight have driven our thinking at every step and we wanted to take a completely new approach to re-energise the category.”

Yet it is not just the existing customers the Higgidy rebrand seeks to reach. As the brand matures, its ambitions extend. Campbell continues, “The new packaging is just one part of our commitment to an on-going programme, which aims to re-energise the category as a whole. We are also taking our marketing approach to the next level with our first ever above the line campaign in April to extend our reach further and reach a new audience.”

To achieve this, B&B Studio uses the imperfect nature of Higgidy’s products as a base for its new brand positioning. A new rounded logo ensures the brand name is visible amidst the intricate packaging designs. And, as the brand prides itself on its fresh taste and handmade aesthetic, B&B Studio drew inspiration from the patterns of mismatched dinner plates.

The result is eye-catching and artisanal designs, which still say ‘Higgidy’ but signal the extent to which the brand has matured since the early 2000s.

Shaun Bowen, founder and creative partner, B&B studio, says, “From the start, we were keen to help build Higgidy’s broader philosophy – and the company’s belief in the beauty of its imperfect pies felt like something that could evolve way beyond the food.”

Bowen continus, “The packaging design was inspired by a lifestyle aesthetic born out of the beauty of imperfection, and the mismatched plates gave us the opportunity to tell a story around each recipe, either in terms of its inspiration, ingredients or associations. We worked closely with founder Camilla Stephens to truly appreciate each recipe, then with each individual illustrator to ensure the story came to life in the most appropriate way… the result is a category challenging brand with depth.”

The newly-design Higgidy products will be available in supermarkets from spring 2017.